Lauren Bacall died a few weeks ago. The lingerie model with no manners or grooming was plucked from obscurity by film star Humphrey Bogart. The 'Dis' and 'Dat' diction was ironed out of her and the pair became THE item of the 1940s and 50s until he died.

After Bogart she eventually married Sinatra. She eventually was famous for simply being famous and of course, for being a living part of one of the great periods of film making. Eventually she found a career on the stage her film output was sparse. Suffice it to say that her major interesting work was in the early era as she admits in this 1970s interview.

Apparently everyone was drunk or stoned in the 1970s. By the time the 1980s around, people were less mellow and there were a string of celebrity shootings. A 1978 epistolary novel was bought up by producers about a crazed fan who began stalking an actress. The result was the Fan. It's about a famous broadway actress that's not a particularly good singer and dancer - and I'm not sure it's not a send up - who's crazed and sexually confused fan starts .... Well, you can guess the plot.

I'm going to give the ending away here: every main character makes it through to the end. The fan, however, manages to bump off quite a lot of maids and theatre workers who are unlucky enough to work for Bacall or just standing next to her at the wrong time. It's a bit like Palin was hired away from A Fish Called Wanda.

Whether accidental or on purpose, that component of the ending is actually kind of novel for a crazed killer film. Seeing the rest of the film makes you suspect it's accidental because Bacall's not a great singer which makes the hastily staged musical bits by Marvin Hamlish and Tim cringe-worthy, and many of the turns the film takes are bizarre. One character is attacked by the fan, and when the bandages come off - there's not a mark on the skin.

The fact that Robert Stigwood, a musical producer was involved, is probably a warning. Apparently Friday the 13th came out mid-production and the decision was made to really ramp up the violence, nudging it from thriller to slasher territory. The first time director was a cutting edge commercial and music video director. An apparently Arlene Philips (Can't Stop The Music, Annie) was the hottest choreographer the period. If key staff are visualizing very different films in their heads, the potential for mismatched expectations is high under such circumstances. It's like different directors shot the same script.

The film probably started as an attempt to make something like DePalma's Dressed to Kill or the Eyes of Laura Mars. Instead they ended up with... um... the Fan.

I guess the pleasure in such a film is best summed up by Kubrick who said he never learned anything by watching a good film.

gaslight:[img.fark.net image 736x1104]Lauren Bacall died a few weeks ago. The lingerie model with no manners or grooming was plucked from obscurity by film star Humphrey Bogart. The 'Dis' and 'Dat' diction was ironed out of her and the pair became THE item of the 1940s and 50s until he died.

After Bogart she eventually married Sinatra. She eventually was famous for simply being famous and of course, for being a living part of one of the great periods of film making. Eventually she found a career on the stage her film output was sparse. Suffice it to say that her major interesting work was in the early era as she admits in this 1970s interview.

Her public persona I think became her preferred style of acting. Her mature period acting is very different from this.

Apparently everyone was drunk or stoned in the 1970s. By the time the 1980s around, people were less mellow and there were a string of celebrity shootings. A 1978 epistolary novel was bought up by producers about a crazed fan who began stalking an actress. The result was the Fan. It's about a famous broadway actress that's not a particularly good singer and dancer - and I'm not sure it's not a send up - who's crazed and sexually confused fan starts .... Well, you can guess the plot.

Except not really. She's in love with copper Hector Elizondo, but pining for her ex husband, James Garner. Her secretary, Maureen Stapleton of All in the family fame is also in the frame, dealing with the fan's love letters. The murderous fan is played by Terminator co-star Michael Biehn. Unfortunately, we've never really gotten enough out of him. He's died in 30 per cent of the films that he's been in.

I'm going to give the ending away here: every main character makes it through to the end. The fan, however, manages to bump off quite a lot of maids and theatre workers who are unlucky enough to work for Bacall or just standing next to her at the wrong time. It's a bit like Palin was hired away from A Fish Called Wanda.

Whether accid ...

I'm fond of this movie, but I'm surprised more people haven't heard of it. Or for that matter, read or even heard of Bob Randall's novel.